China’s armed forces carried out another round of drills near Taiwan last week to improve joint combat operations, the People’s Liberation Army said on Monday, after the island reported a spike in activity. Taiwan has complained for the past two years about frequent Chinese military activity nearby it, mostly concentrated …
Read More »Thousands of security forces on alert ahead of Philippine polls
More than 60,000 security forces in the Philippines were on alert Sunday to safeguard ballots and polling stations on the eve of the presidential election, after police reported four people killed in an outbreak of violence. Elections are a traditionally volatile time in a country with lax gun laws and …
Read More »First cholera outbreak since 2017 kills one in South Sudan
Cholera has killed one child and infected 30 people in South Sudan, the first resurgence of the illness in nearly five years, health officials said late on Saturday (May 7). “The Ministry of Health would like to inform the public that the cholera outbreak has been declared in Rubkona county, …
Read More »Vietnam PM to have working week in US
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will spend a working week in the U.S. between May 11-17, including attending the ASEAN-U.S. summit in Washington. The PM will join other leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members at the ASEAN-U.S. Special Summit on May 12 and 13 at the …
Read More »Seasonal workers getting short end of stick
Many seasonal workers don’t have labor contracts despite lasting working durations, preventing them from accessing benefits like social insurance or sick pay. Hua Van Tai, 23, traveled from Binh Phuoc Province to Ho Chi Minh City, more than three hours away, to look for a job four months earlier. He …
Read More »Saigon metro driver trainees asked to rejoin course
A course to train drivers for HCMC’s metro line No.1 has reopened after the city decided to renew its contract with a Japanese consultant. “Trainees have been invited to get back to classes and the course is expected to finish in a year,” Nguyen Quoc Hien, deputy head of the …
Read More »New York subway shooting suspect indicted on terrorism charge
A U.S. grand jury on Saturday indicted a man for terrorism and other charges stemming from an April 12 gunfire and smoke bomb attack that injured 23 people on the New York City subway. The indictment in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York charged Frank James, …
Read More »Thailand urges care over content as Lazada promotion angers royalists
Thailand on Saturday warned against the creation of online content that risked insulting the country’s monarchy, after a video by a social media influencer promoting e-commerce platform Lazada incensed royalists, who said it was mocking the palace. Thai law prescribes punishments of up to 15 years in jail for each …
Read More »2 more arrested in pandemic flight bribery scandal
Two company chiefs in Hanoi were arrested Friday in connection with the investigation into the bribe for repatriation case in which a deputy minister has already been taken in. Nguyen Thi Tuong Vi, 42, director of ATA Vietnam Consultation and Investment Co. Ltd, and Nguyen Thi Dung Hanh, 50, director …
Read More »Biden should give ASEAN leaders face time to improve ties, says Cambodian minister
U.S. President Joe Biden should spend more time with Southeast Asian leaders during a summit in Washington next week if his administration is serious about elevating U.S. ties with the region, where China holds significant sway, a senior Cambodian official told Reuters on Friday. No individual meetings were currently planned …
Read More »